Chapter 16

“She called me a home-wrecker and claimed I was seducing men. Those baseless accusations have damaged my reputation. And besides, words like ‘home-wrecker’ shouldn’t be thrown around carelessly. The entire country is busy smashing the Four Olds right now—if this talk spreads to the commune, the leaders might think it’s because the village chief hasn’t done his job in educating people. Wouldn’t that end up harming him?”

Shu Yue spoke calmly, laying out her reasoning. Hearing this, Zhou Zhaodi nearly exploded with rage. She wished she could tear that sharp tongue right out of Shu Yue’s mouth. When had she ever realized this little tramp could talk so slick? Just a few words, and Shu Yue had already pinned a big political label on her. That face was hateful, but that mouth was worse—it deserved to be ripped apart along with it, so she’d never dare act so arrogant again.

“You… you shut up! I’ll beat you to death today if you keep talking!”

“Stop right there! What’s wrong with what Jingchuan’s wife just said? Don’t you know what should and shouldn’t be said? You accused her of seducing men—did you see it happen? Did any of you? Why are you all staring at the ground? If you saw it, speak up! Tell us clearly which day, at what time, and where Jingchuan’s wife supposedly seduced someone, and name the man she supposedly seduced. If you can prove it, then she should be punished. But if you can’t, then it’s nothing but slander—and you deserved that beating. A person’s reputation is no small matter. Do you really not understand that?”

Zhou Zhaodi tried to lunge again, but Aunt Cui held her back. Rumors about Shu Yue had been circulating for a while, but it was hard to trace where they started or why. In the past, Shu Yue ignored every bit of gossip. Since she never spoke up to defend herself, Aunt Cui, even if she wanted to, couldn’t publicly clear her name. Now was the perfect chance to force these gossips to explain themselves.

Here was a decent woman who worked hard every day and rarely left her home—yet somehow she’d become a “shameless hussy” in the village’s mouth. Reputation is important, and having mud thrown on it without protest only emboldens people. No wonder Shu Yue finally lashed out.

“Everyone says it. We just heard it from others…”

“Right, isn’t that what the whole village is saying? And anyway, when she fell into the water, wasn’t that Li Laosan right there? Who knows what the two of them were up to? Maybe Comrade Cheng just happened to show up at the wrong time and ruined their little tryst. She only jumped in the river so Cheng would have to save her, just to climb her way into becoming an officer’s wife. A woman that scheming—she’s just—”

Smack!

Another slap rang out, this time across the face of Wang Aihua, an educated youth.

“Do you have any evidence for those words you just spewed? If not, it’s slander. I already said that. Can’t you understand plain speech? As for me falling into the water, the village chief already investigated it. Li Laosan tried to assault me, and I fell into the river trying to escape. The chief punished him by making him haul manure for a month. Are you brain-dead, or do you just have no memory of what’s already been settled?”

Wang Aihua was close friends with Sun Qing. They’d come to the countryside together as educated youths and, realizing they’d probably never return to the city, had both started courting a pair of cousins from Zhou Zhaodi’s in-laws—nephews of the village chief. The plan was obvious: marry into the same family and never be separated.

“Aunt Cui, aren’t you going to stop her?”

Clutching her burning cheek, Wang Aihua turned to Aunt Cui, expecting her to demand justice. What had gotten into Shu Yue? She’d never acted like this before. Now she was like a shrew, hitting people without hesitation—and she didn’t hold back. Wang’s face would definitely swell. She wasn’t about to let this go.

“How should I stop her? You’re the one in the wrong. The whole village already held a meeting about Li Laosan’s crime—everything was explained clearly. Yet here you are, spewing nonsense again, tearing down a woman’s reputation with nothing but your own filthy guesses. And you call yourself an educated youth? No sense of propriety at all. That slap—consider it a lesson.”

Aunt Cui remembered that right after the incident, the rumors had started—rumors deliberately spread by Li Laosan’s mother, claiming Shu Yue had lured him into the woods by the river for some unspeakable purpose, only to be “caught” by Cheng Jingchuan, turning it into a “hero saving the damsel” act.

That very night, Cheng Jingchuan went straight to the village chief to explain what had really happened. He had seen Li Laosan dragging Shu Yue and had witnessed her resisting. The rumor was clearly false. The chief was even pleased, thinking Cheng Jingchuan was protecting Shu Yue’s good name. Even though he hadn’t been eager to marry her, he still stood up for her.

But Cheng Jingchuan himself said solemnly that he was simply telling the truth—what any soldier was duty-bound to do. He sympathized with Shu Yue, but that didn’t mean she should cling to him. In his eyes, he’d saved her out of decency and was now being “rewarded” with a wife of questionable background—something that could jeopardize his career. Being “stuck” with her left him bitter.

When Aunt Cui heard this, she figured his resentment would fade once they married and got used to each other. But after registering the marriage, the brat never came home again, leaving his wife to be bullied at home and slandered in the village.

“All right, are you done with today’s tasks? Don’t you want your work points anymore?”

Aunt Cui glared at Zhou Zhaodi and Wang Aihua. Shu Yue’s slaps had landed neatly—one on the left cheek, one on the right. Standing side by side, the two women now sported matching red welts, an unintentionally comical sight.

“Let’s go.”

Zhou Zhaodi knew perfectly well Aunt Cui was protecting Shu Yue. Continuing to argue would gain them nothing. Better to leave now and remember this humiliation. One day soon, she vowed, those slaps would be repaid in full.